Japan unveils new carrier-like warship, 日直升機航母出雲號下水

 日直升機航母出雲號下水 2015年服役

日本二戰後建造最大軍艦
〔編譯林翠儀／綜合報導〕二次大戰後日本國產最大型海上自衛隊護衛艦六日在橫濱舉行下水儀式，它被命名為「出雲號」，與日軍侵略中國時的旗艦同名。日媒報導，在中國積極擴軍的背景下，出雲號將被當做自衛隊強化奪回離島作戰能力的旗艦，預定二○一五年三月正式服役。
海自強化奪島戰力的旗艦
出 雲號是海上自衛隊從二○一○年開始打造，為可以搭載直升機的航空母艦，甲板全長二四八公尺、寬三十八公尺，基本排水量為一萬九五○○噸，可同時提供五架直 升機起降，最多可搭載十四架直升機，同時容納五十輛陸上自衛隊三．五噸卡車，人員方面可容納四七○名船員及四五○人長期住宿，艦內還設有手術室及三十五個 病床。
可供F-35B垂直起降
雖然艦上甲板也能提供F- 35B戰機垂直起降，不過防衛省表示，由於有違「專守防衛」的政策，所以並沒有這項計畫，撇清外界質疑出雲號為「攻擊型航空母艦」的疑慮。日本官方強調出 雲號在大規模災害及國際緊急救援的能力，不過日本每日新聞指出，在中國積極擴軍下，出雲號將被做為自衛隊奪回離島作戰的旗艦，艦砲及內部裝備均增強。
出 雲號造價一千二百億日圓（約合台幣三六六億元），比現有的護衛艦「日向號」還大五十％，堪稱海自史上最大的護衛艦，海自原本打算依慣例沿用前海軍名艦為新 艦命名為「長門」，但因「長門」是山口縣的舊地名，而山口縣正是首相安倍晉三的故鄉，海自內部認為目前各國對日本右傾化充滿戒心，此時沒有必要以此刺激中 國等鄰國，所以作罷，最後選擇以島根縣舊地名「出雲」命名，事實上，「出雲」也是前日本海軍在日清甲午戰爭後，以清朝賠款打造的裝甲巡洋艦之一，曾多次遭 到中華民國魚雷艇攻擊而不沉因而聲名大噪，直到一九四五年七月美軍轟炸吳港才被擊沉。
日第三艘準航母 中韓抨擊
中 韓媒體報導出雲號下水明顯充滿戒心，新華網稱其雖名為直升機航母，但戰力與中小型航母無異，等於是日本的第三艘準航母，還批評日本企圖藉此規避二戰戰敗國 不得擁有航母的限制。對於日本選廣島原爆紀念日下水，中韓媒體也質疑日本可能假借維護周邊地區安全的理由，脫離現有的和平憲法。
六日下水儀式邀請日本副首相麻生太郎出席，對於選在六日下水，海自解釋只因六日大潮且為大吉日，與廣島原爆紀念日無關。

 

 

Japan unveils new carrier-like warship, the largest in its navy since World War II

Kyodo News/Associated Press - Japan’s new warship “Izumo”, which has a flight deck that is nearly 250 meters (820 feet) long, is unveiled in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013. Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, a huge flat-top destroyer that has raised eyebrows in China and elsewhere because it bears a strong resemblance to a conventional aircraft carrier. Izumo is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters.

By Associated Press,

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, a huge flat-top destroyer that has raised eyebrows in China and elsewhere because it bears a strong resemblance to a conventional aircraft carrier.
The ship, which has a flight deck that is nearly 250 meters (820 feet) long, is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters. Japanese officials say it will be used in national defense — particularly in anti-submarine warfare and border-area surveillance missions — and to bolster the nation’s ability to transport personnel and supplies in response to large-scale natural disasters, like the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Though the ship — dubbed “Izumo” — has been in the works since 2009, its unveiling comes as Japan and China are locked in a dispute over several small islands located between southern Japan and Taiwan. For months, ships from both countries have been conducting patrols around the isles, called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyutai in China.
The tensions over the islands, along with China’s heavy spending on defense and military modernization, have heightened calls in Japan for beefed-up naval and air forces. China recently began operating an aircraft carrier that it refurbished after purchasing from Russia, and is reportedly moving forward with the construction of another that is domestically built.
Japan, China and Taiwan all claim the islands.
Though technically a destroyer, some experts believe the new Japanese ship could potentially be used in the future to launch fighter jets or other aircraft that have the ability to take off vertically. That would be a departure for Japan, which has one of the best equipped and best trained naval forces in the Pacific but which has not sought to build aircraft carriers of its own because of constitutional restrictions that limit its military forces to a defensive role.
Japan says it has no plans to use the ship in that manner.
The Izumo does not have catapults for launching fighters, nor does it have a “ski-jump” ramp on its flight deck for fixed-wing aircraft launches.
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